Sea Dragon Empress
by SakuraMusic
Summary: A young girl follows her mother to a new world and joins an infamous pirate crew, the Whitebeard Pirates. Read her story as she forges new bonds, faces enemies, and have an adventure not to be forgotten. DragonSlayer!OC (Fairy Tail) but takes place in One piece world. Read and Review! T for language and violence Note that this story begins 10 years before the manga/anime begins
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**Sorry that I've been inactive lately but I've come with a new story with a new OC. This character has the concepts of Fairy Tail but this is mainly in the One Piece world. Hope people enjoy this and I apologize for anyone waiting for something new.**

* * *

In an unhabitated region, a slender creature arose from a large lake. Its scales were a light-teal color and was over sixty feet long. Two fins went down the back of its neck styled like hair with two loose tendrils moving on their own while lower on the body was a pair of matching triangular fins on its side. The sides of her head had bony fins spread out, hiding the gills underneath. The eyes were dark blue with only the light giving it brightness. This was Meraqua, the Water Dragon.

She lived in this place for its peace and tranquility, though, if she ever wanted a change of pace she had here ways to get around. The reptilian dragon stretched herself over the foliage of the trees to look over the horizon. She saw the ocean and could feel the sea breeze blow against her fins as she closed her eyes. She wasn't actually of this world but another, one where pirates roamed free. The sounds of the waves reminded her of that home and she had long since left it.

_'Life here has been so calm though, I wish something would happen. The Dragon King Festival will happen eventually... I don't know what to do. Should I return home?'_

Her eyes opened a second later when she heard a faint cry being carried by the wind. Meraqua looked towards the ocean again when she spotted something dark floating across the water. Intrigued by the sound, the dragon decided to have a look. She swam over to a part of the lake that was connected to a river that was wide enough for the teal dragon to trek in.

Meraqua made her way through the bends and twists of the narrow body of water until she could feel the freshwater get saltier and saltier. The water dragon continued to swim when she saw something on the sea floor, a sunken ship. She saw burn marks on the deck and air bubbles coming out of some openings in the hull of the ship.

_'This must've been from the storm yesterday. And by the looks of it, this ship was one for luxury. So... what does that make the thing I saw?'_

Meraqua looked up and saw the floating object that caught her attention before moving with the current. When her head was about to break the surface, she used the two loose tendril connected to her fins to get a steady hold on the object. When she did that, whatever was making the sound before silenced itself.

Meraqua swam towards the shore and let her head fully breach the surface. She lifted the object up and saw that it a basket and inside was an child. She probably had to be a little over a year old when she saw the teeth in its mouth. From what she could tell it was girl with dark hair with a blue tinting. She noticed the infant girl looking at one of the tendrils grasping the basket.

Interested enough Meraqua moved the appendage so it was waving in front of the girl's face. The baby laughed as it raised its arms out of the basket to try and grab the tendril. Meraqua couldn't help but smile at this. Then the dragon looked back towards the ocean with a sad look in her eyes.

_'This poor child's parents must not have made it. The poor thing... Maybe I shoul-'_

"Ah!"

Meraqua felt a surge of magic enter her system and looked back at the baby girl. The human baby had finally managed to grab the tendril and from baby was where Meraqua felt the magic in her. That's when she realized she couldn't give this child to someone else. No, she had too much potential and the dragon felt that the girl couldn't achieve it without her help.

Carefully, Meraqua scooped the girl out of the basket and lifted the baby toward her snout. With a smile, Meraqua spoke to the child.

_"Hello little one, I'm Meraqua your new mother."_

The baby looked at the dragon in wonder before closing her eyes and smiling.

"Mer!"

_"How about a name for you? Melody Halcyon."_

* * *

_7 years later..._

Since the day Meraqua found her, Melody had grown into an adorable young girl. Her dark-blue hair had grown to the middle of her back and was let loose. She wore a slightly oversized shirt with shorts that went down to her knees. Over that was an open button-down with the sleeves rolled up past her elbows. Her feet were covered by socks and a pair of sneakers.

At that moment the little girl was... kicking a log. She wasn't in a bad mood or anything but actually training. Meraqua had taught the girl a unique magic that would let her freely use her latent ability, Water Dragon Slayer Magic. The magic that is said to give the user the capability to slay a dragon.

After the first couple of kicks Melody deemed the lumber stable enough. With a grin, she moved one leg back and it suddenly was covered in roaring water. She lifted up the leg from the ground slowly as she aimed for her target.

"**Water Dragon's Fin Strike!**"

With a swift kick, the log shattered from the kick and many of the pieces spun into the lake nearby. As the last splinters fell in, bubbles were seen on the lake's surface and Meraqua emerged. Melody turned towards the direction of the lake.

_"Melody, don't put so much power into your kicks. You won't be able to control how much damage you put into them if you do."_

"Okay mama. But did you see? I finally got it down!"

_"I did! You really are starting to be an amazing girl."_

Meraqua lifted her head down to ground level, letting Melody embrace her. While Melody didn't notice, Meraqua had a look in her eyes that sent out a feeling of slight guilt.

Later that night, Melody sat atop of her adoptive mothers head so they could gaze at the full moon that night. It was a peaceful silence for a while until Meraqua spoke.

_"Melody can come down, I want to tell you something."_

Melody could sense something off in the dragon's voice but obliged. She jumped off the Meraqua's head and dove into the lake. A few seconds later the child emerged from the water and climbed onto dry land. The clothes on her were barely soaked, as Meraqua had taught her a spell to waterproof them.

The water dragon shifted around so she was now facing her adopted daughter. Melody knew something was going on but kept an oblivious face on, especially when Meraqua had a sad look in her eyes.

_"Melody, starting tomorrow I will have to disappear for away from humanity forever by orders of the Dragon King."_

The sudden news made Melody's eyes widen in shock but before she could do anything to say no, Meraqua placed on of her tendrils in front of Melody.

_"But, his ideals are one I do not follow. I don't like the idea of leaving humanity alone so I will return to my homeworld to escape the jurisdiction of the Dragon King."_

"Homeworld? You mean the one you told me stories about? Of pirates and treasures and adventure?"

_"Yes, that was my previous home before settling here and then finding you. I must go to a place where few humans will encounter me since dragons like me would be hunted down. I will basically be on the run."_

Meraqua looked down into the lake as she remembered her birth home. Suddenly she felt weight on her snout and saw Melody clinging onto her. At first, the girl's bangs obscured her eyes making Meraqua believe she was trying to hide her tears. But, when the Dragon Slayer lifted her head, her caretaker saw pure determination in them.

"If that's where you're going I'll go there too."

_"Melody, you can't follow me. It would be much too dangerous for you, especially at your age. You are not strong enough to face the danger of where I'll reside."_

"Then I'll get stronger there so I when I do find you, I can protect you from the bad people who'd hunt you down!"

Melody saw the water dragon's eyes widen with shock before closing. Meraqua began to laugh as the dragon set Melody down on the ground again.

_"I should have known this would happen, you are so determined to do things once you put your mind into things. Well then, Melody could you place your hand in the water? I want to give you something."_

"Huh? Okay mama."

Melody kneeled by the edge of the lake and placed her right hand in the water. Meraqua submerged most of her body into the water until just her head was above the surface. The two tendril on Meraqua's neck began to glow before she placed the tip of one on the back of Melody's hand. She lightly moved her tendril in a counter-clockwise spiral before lifting it off Melody's hand. With the other tendril, Meraqua lightly touched the center of Melody's hand.

Melody watched in amazement as the spiral Meraqua traced glowed a teal color, like her mother's scales. Starting from the outside the glow began to fade until it reached the inside of the spiral. It was then Melody saw that Meraqua had given her a tattoo. It was a silhouette of the water dragon with her side and tail fins a lighter teal color. When the glow disappeared completely, Melody lifted her hand out of the water and stared at her new tattoo.

"So pretty! Thank you Meraqua."

_"That just half of the gift, wait hear for a minute."_

The Dragon Slayer turned to her dragon to see her sink lower into the lake. From Meraqua's point of view, looked underwater until she found an algae-less rock sitting in the lake floor covered by the plant. Meraqua picked up the stone and lifted it up to the surface.

Melody watched as Meraqua resurfaced and faced the rock she brought up. The child saw her mutter a few things until the rock began to glow the same teal color that was on Melody's hand. The stone somehow melted and turned to water. As the liquid spread itself onto the ground, Melody saw something land on the floor with a thud.

Melody sprinted to the object on the floor to see that it was a book. On the front cover, was an intricate picture of a dragon head painted in light blue. The back cover had two folds, acting as a lock and cover to the book's contents. Melody tried to moved the flap that prevented her from opening the book it wouldn't budge.

"Mama, why can't I open this?"

Meraqua used a tendril to lightly grasp Melody's right hand and placed it over the front cover.

_"This book is magically sealed so no water and nobody can open it. Only ones who bear the my mark are able to. I was planning of leaving it there but it seems like you'll need it."_

Melody looked at her new tattoo, or mark, and had an idea of what to do. Placing her hand over the water dragon on the front cover, both that and her hand began to glow. A magic circle appeared between them before disappearing. Once that vanished, the flap opened by itself and Melody took that opportunity to open the book. She skimmed through the pages in wonder as Meraqua leaned forward and explained the contents of the tome.

_"I don't have time to teach you but there are spells in there that are quite advanced but very powerful. And though I have told you some of these things in my stories, this book also will give you information on some of the things you'll be expected to see. I made this when I was much more curious of the human world there but when people sought to hunt me down I took this with me and came here. Melody, I entrust you with this book so that you can not only prepare yourself, but so you can write about your adventures there too."_

As Meraqua said that, Melody turned the page that stopped talking about things called Devil Fruits and came across blank pages. After hearing the last part, Melody saw these empty spaces as a journal for her. She closed the book and the flap moved by itself, sealing the book once more.

_" Melody this may be a bit bias but let me say this. Don't join the people called Marines. They are the security force of the world."_

"Eh, why? Doesn't that mean they're the good guys."

Meraqua did nod but she head a stern look as she continued.

_"On the outside yes but I their sense of justice is corrupted by their higher-ups. They would probably see you as a weapon and wouldn't let you have the freedom you deserve. Pirates, however, are free to live out their dreams. Why, I remember that one time I met a group of pirates who were as ambitious as their captain... well except for the red-nosed one."_

"Red nose?"

_"Anyway what I'm trying to say is, seek adventure, see new sights, and show the world what you can do, Melody Halcyon, my little Dragon Slayer."_

Melody stood up with excitement all over her face as she face Meraqua.

"Don't worry Meraqua! I'm going to get super strong and when that happens, I'll find you again and we can be together again. But... how do I _get_ to your world?"

The water dragon giggled at the child's sudden question before swimming towards the center of the lake and sinking in. Melody decided to dip her head into the water and watched as the teal dragon circled around the lake bottom. Meraqua looked directly towards her daughter as she spiraled her body on the floor.

_"I have my own way of getting there but for you Melody, you have another way. In a few days, a portal that I will have created will open and you will have to go through it. I don't know where you'll end up but I know you can care for yourself."_

Meraqua resurfaced and watched as Melody lifted her head up and shook out the excess water in her hair. The dragon saw the exhaustion in Melody's eyes and drew closer.

_"Now I think that's enough excitement today, it's time for you to sleep. You need the energy for the adventure ahead."_

The dragon scooped up the child again and lifted her towards a nearby shack. Just as Meraqua placed Melody down and was about to leave, she felt something tug her back. The dragon looked back to see her daughter grabbing her tendril, much like when she had first found her.

"Can you stay here for tonight? At least until I go to sleep."

Meraqua smiled and nodded making the sleepy Melody smile. The dragon rested her head on the ground as Melody wrapped herself in a blanket. The Dragon Slayer patted Meraqua's snout and smiled.

"Goodnight mama. I love you!"

_"I love you too my dear."_

* * *

A week had passed since Meraqua vanished and Melody stood in front of the currently bubbling lake the girl's caretaker once resided in. Secured to her back with leather and rope was the book Meraqua had given Melody. Gripping onto the ropes that secured the book on her back, Melody jumped into the lake.

She opened her eyes and saw the cause of the unstable water in the lake. In the same location Meraqua showed her was now a yellow, glowing vortex. The child quickly made her way to above the vortex and prepared herself. A layer of water circled around Melody as she bent her knees.

'**Water Dragon's Torpedo!**'

Kicking both her feet upwards, the water surrounding her body rocketed her into the wormhole. A few seconds after Melody entered the portal, it began to get smaller and slower until it was just a dot. Then it vanished, leaving no trace of it ever existing.

* * *

**Well that's the end of the 1st chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed it. I'll say it right now. I don't know when I'll update my other stories but this one I have a few chapters done already and its still fresh in my head. Anyway review if you like.**


	2. Chapter 2: New Family

**Here's the next installment of the story. How did Melody exactly join the Whitebeard Pirates? Read and find out!**

**Note I don't own One Piece, only my OC.**

* * *

A storm was raging on in a part of the ocean, with one large battleship being a victim of it, the Moby Dick. It had a large figurehead of a blue, or rather white, whale. The black flag hanging from the bird's nest signified that it was a pirate ship. The symbol on the flag was skull and crossbones set, but the bones were in positioned into an actual cross shape and the skull had a square jaw with a large, white crescent mustache.

Only one pirate crew bore this insignia, the Whitebeard Pirates. Led by Edward Newgate, more commonly known as Whitebeard, this crew has been around since the Golden Age of Piracy. Whitebeard himself has gained the title of being one of the Four Emperors on the Grand Line. Even his sixteen commanders are infamous, especially when they have a hundred crewmembers each backing them up.

At the moment, most of the crew was making adjustments to the ship so it wouldn't capsize. Some men were furling the sails when they saw sparkle in the sky not too far from the ship. Their eyes widened when that sparkle suddenly grew into a blue circle that started to expand.

"Whoa! What the hell is that?!"

"I don't know but something tells me it ain't gonna be lightning."

"What are you doing at-yoi?!"

The men that were looking at the spectacle in the clouds looked down to see the 1st Division Commander, Marco. Marco was a blonde, lean yet muscular man and had a bit of stubble on his chin. He wore an open purple jacket, showing the dark blue tattoo of a simplified version of the Whitebeard Pirates Jolly Roger. Around his waist was a light blue sash plus a fancier smaller belt hanging from it. He wore dark grey pants that went down past his knee and strapped sandals with a straw decoration on his left leg.

Despite the commander's sleepy look, the crew could see him have a small scowl, probably from seeing them not do their job.

"Commander Marco! There's something going on over there in the sky."

The crewmembers furling the main sail pointed in the direction they were previously looking at. They looked back at it to have their faces turn into pure shock.

"HOLY FUCK IT'S HUGE NOW!"

"How did it get so big in that short of time?!"

On the deck Marco hardly showed the shock but inside he had the same reaction as the others. The blonde looked around until he saw a tall, muscular man wearing a top hat and another tall man with a brown pompadour with a black goatee.

"Vista! Thatch! Are you seeing this-yoi?"

Vista, the top-hat wearing Commander of the 5th Division, and Thatch, the pompadour-bearing Commander of the 4th Division, approached Marco and nodded. Thatch had gotten a telescope at some point and was trying to get a closer look at the blue anomaly in the sea.

"I just got back with the navigator when it appeared. He has no idea what this is."

"Hopefully this doesn't do anything to harm us."

Just as Vista said that, the blue circle released a blue beam of light that struck the sea. The "attack" caused water to splash onto the deck. The three commanders got a bit soaked but Thatch was still looking through the spyglass. That was when he gasped, making Marco and Vista look at him.

"What's wrong?"

"A-a a ki-"

"Spit it out, Thatch!"

"A kid is falling down from that thing!"

The two Commanders didn't have to question what Thatch meant. Even without the spyglass they could see a flailing small figure descending from the beam of light. As the child was nearing the waves, the blue circle and beam disappeared into nothing. All the light vanished as the kid splashed into the ocean.

Parts of the crew who had seen the even happen started to wonder what the blue circle had been. Seeing no one make a move, Thatch tossed the telescope away and grabbed a long coil of rope. Tying one end to the ship's railing, the 4th Division Commander tied the other end around his waist.

"Reel me back in when I pull on the rope, okay."

"Thatch, what are yo- wait-yoi!"

The 1st Division Commander tried to stop his comrade but Thatch had already jumped over the railing and dove into the water. A few seconds later, Thatch emerged and started looking for the kid he saw but had to dive a couple times to avoid the waves from sweeping him away. Eventually he found the child, grasping onto a thick book. He swam over and picked up the child with one arm. He was now able to see that the kid was a young girl probably no older that eight with dark blue hair. Still holding onto the book the girl looked at Thatch with surprise, causing the man to smile with relief.

"Don't worry, little one. You're in good hands now. You have a name?"

Without much hesitance the girl spoke with a smile.

"I'm Melody. Melody Halcyon."

"Nice to meet you, Melody. You can call me Thatch. Hold onto me tight, alright."

Holding the book with her outside arm, Melody grasped the man's soaked shirt. Thatch found the rope around his waist and tugged on it a few times.

From Marco's view he saw the rope pulling, causing part of the railing to creak. With quick reflexes, he and Vista unwrapped the rope from the railing and pulled it back. Other crewmembers saw what was happening and went to help. Soon Thatch grabbed the railing and jumped back onto the deck. Everyone saw Melody, who looked at everyone curiously, in Thatch's arms. While Vista had the crew return to preparing for the storm, Marco walked over and talked to Thatch who still had the child in his arms while he untied the rope around his waist.

"A little girl?"

"Yeah I'm gonna bring her to the infirmary in case. I'll be back out in a few. Tell Pops about our new guest okay?"

"Will do-yoi."

With that Thatch walked towards the medical room that was on the ship while Marco headed to the captain's room.

The storm had passed and the Moby Dick was now sailing over calm waters. Marco was walking with Thatch towards the infirmary.

* * *

"ACHOO!"

"Don't tell me you got a cold-yoi."

"Well it can't be helped. My clothes got soaked. Hope Melody didn't get sick."

"Melody?"

"The little girl. It's weird though, from how we saw her fall, you'd think she'd freak out after landing in the sea. But she spoke to me so casually like we had just met on the street."

"From what I can tell she seems like an interesting kid."

They finally reached the infirmary and knocked on the door. One of the nurses opened it and recognizes the two men.

"Ah Commanders how are you?"

"We're fine, thanks for asking-yoi."

"So how is little Melody?"

"Actually she's-"

"Ah! Hi Thatch!"

The brunette looked over the nurse's shoulder to see Melody casually sitting on one of the beds in there. Thatch waved to the girl, who smiled back. The nurse giggled at the two's interaction before turning back to the two men.

"She's fine actually. No signs of exhaustion or sickness. But I have to ask, did you really find her in the sea Mr. Thatch?"

"Of course, I was soaked to the bone when I came in with her."

"That's the thing. You got drenched but Melody was pretty much dry except for her hair."

The nurse asked Melody to take off her button-down so she could show the Commanders what she meant. The two touched the fabric to find it dry with a miniscule amount of wet spots. The nurse took back the clothing and returned it to the child.

"Even that book she was carrying is dry."

Melody yelled from the bed she sat on, the book now spread open on her lap and a slightly annoyed face on.

"I told you that they're waterproof. My mama made my clothes like this so I wouldn't get sick like Thatch is now."

"Melody you didn't have to say that last part..."

"That's right... as soon as you dropped her off you left. And if I recall, you don't have a spare of this outfit. You have a cold don't you, sir?"

The brunette froze in place feeling like he got caught. The nurses on the ship were no pushovers except with the captain. If a patient was trying to hide from them, one way or another they'd find them and make sure they were healthy. Thatch turned his head towards Marco as a plea of help but the blonde Commander turned his head away. Before the nurse could say anymore things, a growl echoed in the infirmary. Everyone looked back towards Melody who had her hand on her stomach. She then looked at the three by the door.

"I'm hungry can I get some food?"

Trying to prolong the time before being forced into the infirmary, Thatch changed the discussion.

"How about come with us to the galley? You can introduce yourself to the other people on the ship along the wa-"

"Hold it!"

The nurse grabbed Thatch by his scarf and dragged him into the infirmary. As she passed by the bed Melody sat on, the nurse gave the child a warming smile.

"Sweetie why don't you go with the 1st Division Commander to the galley while I give Thatch here a check-up, he'll be out."

"Okay!"

Melody closed the book tight and the flap locked onto the front cover. She set her feet on the floor and walked towards the 1st Division Commander, the thick book still in her hands. Marco squatted down so he was close to eye level to the child as she introduced herself.

"I'm Melody Halcyon. Nice to meet you!"

"Pleasure all mine-yoi. I'm Marco, the 1st Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. Come on let's get some food in there or that tummy of yours will be restless."

When Marco stood up again, Melody grasped a part of his pants so she wouldn't lose track of him along the way. As Melody and Marco walked away, the nurse waved them goodbye before glaring at Thatch.

"That storm was about five hours ago and you have been walking with soaked clothes. Come on we need to make sure you don't get a fever."

The nurse closed the door, leaving Thatch alone to her wrath.

* * *

"So Melody, what did you mean by waterproof? These clothes are made of cotton aren't they?"

Marco was sitting beside the child in the mess hall, as she happily ate the platter the chef had given her. After biting into some sausage and eggs, Melody nodded not caring that some of the food was on the corners of her mouth.

"Meraqua, my mama, taught me a spell that keeps the clothes I have on dry. Before learning it, I'd always get sick because I like to swim a lot but I don't have a swimsuit!"

"Spell? You mean like magic?"

Melody nodded her head after gulping down some juice. Marco still saw the food around her mouth and decided to wipe it off for her. While the blonde man cleaned her face, the blue-haired girl continued.

"My mama said it took her a while to figure it out herself but when she did it was easy-peasy. Ne, you said that you're a pirate right?"

Marco placed the used cloth down on the table as the mess-free child looked at him with curious eyes.

"Yeah, a part of the Whitebeard Pirates. You're on the main ship actually."

"Wow! Can I join then? Meraqua said that pirates are free and live out their dreams. But she also told me the Marines are stinky liars and that I shouldn't join them!"

Many of the people who were in the galley at the time were laughing from hearing the last statement.

"Zehahaha! To think a kid has it figured out already!"

"That girl is telling it like it is. HAHAHA!"

"I don't know what she's like but that kid's mom has got my respect!"

Melody looked at the laughing crew, a bit unsure of what had happened but knew it was a good thing. She looked at Marco who had just finished chuckling and gave her a pat on the head.

"Come on, Pops is probably awake and wants to meet you now."

"Pops?"

"He's the captain and in a sense, our father."

"Huh, I never had a dad. It was me and Mama all the time."

As the laughs were dying down, Marco helped Melody off the table and led her back out onto the deck. Eventually the two stood in front of a large pair of doors. Marco proceeded to knock on the door, then whoever was behind the door grunted to attention.

"Hey Pops, the little girl we found is here with me."

"Alright have her come in you probably have things to do Marco."

The blonde man opened the door wide enough for the girl to enter. He looked down to usher the child to see her clench the book in her hands tighter than before. Melody was slightly nervous to go in there alone but felt a reassuring pat from the 1st Division Commander.

"Don't worry, Melody. Pops may be the captain but he treats everyone here like his children. We're like a big happy family."

Melody nodded and slowly walked into the room. She closed the door behind her and noticed that the portholes on the side were the only source of light besides the unlit lantern. She looked at the bed that was in the room and her eyes widen in shock.

Sitting up on the bed was a large muscular man, about three times larger than Marco and Thatch. He had a long face with wrinkles showing Melody that the man had to be past his fifties. He had a thick mustache curving upwards like a crescent that stretched past the sides of his face. He didn't appear to have any hair on the top of his head but he wore a black bandana. With only a white captain's coat draped over his shoulders, Melody saw the scars that covered his chest. Similar to Marco, this man had a dark purple sash around his waist and wore loose yellow pants with the ends tucked into boots.

The man sitting there, Whitebeard, noticed the girl's shock at seeing him. Before he could say anything, Melody started to stutter.

"Y-Y-YOUR HUGE, MISTER!"

Edward saw in the dark-blue haired girl's eyes amazement and joy. The child's reaction made the man laugh, causing her to calm down.

"Gurararara, you're an excitable child. Why don't you sit here?"

The large man patted to and open space on the bed beside his waist at which Melody took the offer. Setting the book that was in her hands on a counter, Melody climbed onto the bed and sat on part of Whitebeard's coat the was spread out under him.

"So your name's Melody right? What was a little girl like you doing in the sea?"

"Well my full name is Melody Halcyon and I was following my mama here."

"Hmm, your mother? Did you two get separated?"

"Well... not exactly, Meraqua came to this world first and a week later I followed her. She's went into hiding but I promised her that I'd get stronger here so when I find her again I can protect her."

"Hmm? Did you say world?"

"Uh huh, I was raised in another place and Meraqua, my mama, took me in as a baby and raised me. She also taught me special magic too!"

Before anything else could be said, an explosion could be heard outside. Melody would've fallen out of the bed if it weren't for Whitebeard catching her. Melody managed to barely peek through the porthole to see smoke and clashing swords but could clearly hear the people outside.

"A pirate fleet is attacking!"

"It must've been coated to get by us!"

Melody felt herself being placed on the floor by Newgate as he grabbed the bisento that was leaning against the wall. He slowly got his feet off the bed and turned towards the girl.

"Melody you stay here. I don't want you to get hurt."

The child turned towards the captain with a face of worry.

"No way I'm going too. I can fight!"

"Melody, being a pirate is not laughing matter. Understand that this is a-"

The door to Whitebeard's room was suddenly forced open, revealing a group of pirates wielding swords and axes.

"We finally found you Whitebeard!"

"Now we'll take you head and our crew will take your place as one of the Four Emperors!"

Whitebeard scowled at the group as he stood up blocking Melody from their view.

"You brats have the audacity to think you can beat me well you have another thing coming!"

"Yeah!"

The invading pirates turned their heads to see Melody standing on the bed with her fist clenched. The pirates laughed at the sight of the child when one of them stepped closer to her, pulling a blade between them.

"What are you going to do about it pipsqueak?"

Melody just smiled as she kicked the blade away and hopped back into a fighting stance.

"I'll show you what I can do!"

* * *

Outside, the rest of the crew was fighting off the members of the invading crew. There weren't any Devil Fruit users with the invaders, but they could fight. Thatch had escaped the infirmary and was now dealing with the invading pirates. He was getting ambushed by a group when a pair a flaming blue talons crashed into them. Thatch recognized the attack as Marco's and the identified man landed on the deck with his arms transformed into flaming blue wings.

"So how many of these guys are there?"

"About 500 if I had to give or take. Nothing we can't handle-yoi."

"Is Melody okay?"

"She's in Pops' room with him. He'll be able to protect her."

"**Water Dragon's Roar!**"

Suddenly from Whitebeard's room a large, swirling stream of water blasted out, causing the pirates previously in there to be forced out by the pressurized water. Everyone stopped what they were doing to see the aftermath of the sudden attack.

"Wh-what was that?"

"That attack knocked some of our best men out cold!"

"W-Was that Fishman Karate?"

"That can't be Namur is right here!"

They heard footsteps come out and were in complete shock to see Melody come out with her arms crossed and a impish smile on her face.

"That's what you get for calling me a pipsqueak!"

"EHH! A KID KNOCKED THEM OUT!"

One of the pirates who got hit by the attack regained consciousness and cursed at the young girl.

"Sh-she's no kid. She a spawn of a devil"

"NO I'M NOT YOU JERK! **Water Dragon's Fin Strike!**"

Melody didn't even let the man finished as she ran over with one of her legs surrounded by water and kicked the man overboard. Many of them did a double-take of what just happened when Whitebeard walked out of the room with his weapon in hand.

"Melody!"

"Yeah?"

"I see you've proven me wrong about your ability to fight, but why don't you find Marco and stay with him? I don't want you getting hurt too badly in this."

"Okay~!"

Melody looked around for the 1st Division Commander and saw him with Thatch, both looking at her with a mixture of shock and surprise. As she made her way to them, Whitebeard took the opportunity to get the enemy's attention.

"I heard you lot want to claim my head. Well come and try if you dare!"

The pirates got out of their stupor and tried to rush the captain. Unfortunately for them, they were no match as Whitebeard swung his bisento in an arc and knocked all of them back.

With Melody she had made her way to Marco and Thatch who were back into combat mode when Whitebeard made his proclamation. She watched as Marco transformed into a flaming blue bird with his Devil Fruit abilities.

"Wow Marco looks so cool! How did he do that?"

Thatch had sliced a few pirates away with his two swords when he responded to Melody's question.

"Marco ate a Devil Fruit that let him turn into a Phoenix but anyway Melody..."

Thatch got a momentary rest as Marco swept away the pirates with his flames . The brunette turned to Melody with a face of pure shock.

"How the hell did you do that?!"

Melody ducked as someone tried to ambush her with an axe and countered with a kick as she calmly answered Thatch.

"My mama didn't just teach me how to keep myself dry. She also taught me how to fight!"

Marco had transformed in to his half-form when he yelled at the child.

"Melody look out-yoi!"

The child turned around to see a large man holding a chain with a spiked ball at the end. The pirate swung the weapon at the child, who with quick reflexes, jumped away, leaving a crater at the spot she stood before. When she landed, Melody let in a deep breath and her whole arm was surrounded by a ball of water. She opened her eyes, showing that her pupils were almost slit-shaped, and ran towards her attacker. The water on her arm was now moving, like it was coming out of a geyser.

"**Water Dragon's Torrential Fist!**"

Melody's fist collided with the pirate's gut and in an instant the man was send flying over the railing and fell into the ocean with a large splash. The splash caught the eye of the majority of the deck and when Whitebeard noticed, he took the opportunity to call out to the enemy.

"You are no match against our power. Leave this ship with your fallen crew now or face the full power of the Whitebeard Pirates."

Whitebeard's followers let out a battle cry, showing that they would not back down. The invaders realized that they were not able to win this match and called for a retreat. Some of them grabbed their fallen comrades and jumped ship, swimming back to their own ship in fear.

After a victory cheer, Whitebeard smiled and looked around the deck. He saw Thatch carrying Melody on his shoulders as she talked to Marco while her arms were flailing in excitement then Newgate walked over to them.

"So, Melody how did you do all that? That is no Fishman Karate or Jutsu."

Melody smiled and climbed off of Thatch. Closing her eyes, she calmly replied to the leader of the Whitebeard pirates.

"I don't know what Fishman Karate but I do know this. Dragon lungs are for breathing water, scales, for resisting water, and talons, to wrap with water... Those are some of the traits my mama gave me when I learned her magic, the one said to said to have once been used to take down dragons. I'm a mage of Water Dragon Slayer Magic!"

Melody lifted up a fist and it became engulfed a bubble of water. She giggled when she saw some of the crew members have faces of shock. The week before she had arrived to this world, Melody spent it reading the contents of the book her dragon had given her. She read about Devil Fruits and how their users were useless in water so she guessed that seeing her magic was a big shocker. Melody made the water evaporate from her hand and she looked towards Whitebeard.

"So... can I join the Whitebeard Pirates? Mama said I should join them instead of the Marines because she said I may be used as a weapon for them. I don't want to be a tool, I want to be free so I can see her again."

Everyone was surprised to hear the last part about the Marines. They never would've expected a girl her age to have such a mindset, though what her mother apparently told was the truth. This child had the power to control the element that could stop Devil Fruit users in their place. Knowing that, Melody really wouldn't have the freedom to do what she'd want.

"Gurararara! Well I can't leave a little girl alone at sea. But let me ask you this. Will you take my mark, roam the seas wild and free?"

Whitebeard kneeled down towards Melody and brought forth one of his hands.

"If so, then become my daughter."

A few seconds passed with silence between the two. Then Melody smiled but instead of placing her hand on hit, she jumped and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"If you'll be my Papa then okay!"

Whitebeard gave his signature laugh and in a few seconds everyone began cheering for the new crew member joining their family. Partying then proceeded into late into the night even after Melody went to bed.

Staying in the infirmary for that night, Melody opened the book Meraqua had given her. She opened it to the first page of the blank one and took out a pen and ink bottle she had asked the nurses for. Tuning out the party-goers outside and lighting a candle on the nightstand, Melody began writing.

_My first day of this adventure was crazy! I ended up landing in the ocean but a really nice guy Thatch saved me. Thatch and his crewmate, Marco showed me around some of the ship and I met with the captain, Whitebeard. He's a bit intimidating but he cares for people. Then pirates invaded and I ended showing some of my spells in battle. Whitebeard let me join and now I have a papa! I guess that makes Thatch and Marco my brothers! I hope that the days after are going to be as amazing as this one. -Melody Halcyon_

The girl closed the book and placed it on the nightstand next to the bed. The child looked at her left hand which was wrapped in a few bandages. The girl had wanted to place Whitebeard's symbol on the back of her left hand immediately, despite the crew's warnings. The girl bore the pain of the tattoo application and now had a light teal tattoo of a cross and upwards crescent on her hand. After blowing out the candle, Melody pulled a blanket over her and drifted off to slumber.

* * *

**Isn't that cute! Well hope you enjoyed this chapter. The other ones will be up soon! Review if you'd like.**


	3. Chapter 3: Bonding

**Okay so this chapter kinds of a filler-ish but canon to storyline chapter. No real fighting but it's pretty adorable in my opinion. Kind of like a meeting the rest of the family story. Hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

Melody was sitting in the galley, eating breakfast calmly with her book open on the table. The child knew that she knew little about this new world. Heck she hardly even walked past a five-mile radius past her home on a daily basis, the only exception being when she had to buy things from a fishing village that was nearby.

So there the blue-nette sat, skimming through the knowledge Meraqua had known and written in her text. Melody understood the basic concept of how the world was divided into four different oceans called Blues and the single ocean that many pirates ventured onto, the Grand Line. She was currently skimming through the pages about Devil Fruits, having already gotten a general idea of the three variation, when she saw the next category in the book: _Fishmen and Mermaids_.

Melody was so engrossed with the combination of eating and reading that she didn't notice Thatch approaching her from behind. The brunette caught her attention when he ruffled her hair around.

"Morning Melody. What are you reading?"

Melody giggled as she pushed the man's hand away and fixed her hair.

"Hi Thatch! Hey, after the battle the other day, Papa thought I was using something called Fishman Karate. What are Fishmen like?"

Thatch was wondering why the girl was asking that question all of a sudden when he peeked over her to see the book open to a page about the aquatic species and mermaids. He looked at the ceiling, thinking of a way to give the girl a simple answer.

"Ah well most of them live on Fishman Island, which is at the bottom of the ocean. Lots of them are wary of humans and it goes the same the other way around. The 8th Division Commander is a Shark Fishman. Do you want to meet him?"

He looked at Melody to see her eyes sparkle as she nodded her head up and down rapidly. The adorable sight made the 4th Division Commander smile. He watched her stuff the rest of her food down her throat and close her book before hopping out of her seat and standing beside him.

Thatch decided to pick the girl up on his shoulders as they went searching for their fellow crewmate. Eventually they found the Fishman leaning on the railing. Melody looked at the Fishman in awe, noticing how different he looked from human beings.

He had light-blue skin with sets of gills just under ears and a dark-gray fin under sticking out his back. There were six of his bottom teeth sticking out, three for each corner of his mouth. He had navy-blue hair that was almost black styled upwards and pointed with a large widow's peak showing. He wore a blue raglan shirt, with aqua-blue sleeves and a white center, which bore a symbol of a stitched star, the symbol of the Criminal brand. He wore no shoes but did have a pair of grey pants on with a simple belt keeping it up.

"Ohhh he looks so cool!"

The Fishman turned his head in the direction he heard the young girl's voice to see his fellow commander carrying Melody on his shoulders, her eyes full of excitement.

"Morning Namur. How have you been?"

"Uh fine, but why is there a kid on your shoulders?"

Thatch picked Melody off his shoulders and held her out, like she was a doll, in front of Namur, the fishman.

"This is Melody, remember? She's the kid with the ability like Fishman Karate."

"It's Water Dragon Slayer magic, Thatch!"

"Right, Water Dragon Slayer magic. Sorry about that."

Namur then remembered the day before when she made her introduction by showing moves similar to his species' special fighting style.

"She was interested in meeting a fishman so I came to you. And since I have stuff to do..."

Thatch pushed Melody into Namur's arms, surprising both the Dragon Slayer and the fishman. Both look towards the man with the pompadour hair to see him walking away with a joyful laugh.

"I'll leave her in your care for the day!"

"Oi, Thatch!"

Namur looked down as Melody hopped out of his arms and held the book with her right hand. Pulling her arm back, Melody threw the book towards Thatch. The text hit its target on the back of his head amazingly, causing him to fall over. The crewmembers around laughed at the slapstick scene that just occurred as the book slid across the deck. Melody retrieved the book and went back to Namur with a smile on her face.

"I don't think it was nice of him to drop me onto you like that, but I really did want to meet you!"

Namur just looked at Melody with surprise. Deciding that he might as well give the kid a chance, Namur sat himself down on the deck. Melody mimicked the shark man and sat in front of him.

"So why do you want to meet me? Not gonna make fun of me are you?"

"Why would I do that? I did say you were cool! I've never seen anybody like you before!"

"Ah that's right, Pops did say you came from another world. Wait... how did you hear about Fishmen anyway. I'm the only one on the ship and you only seem to talk with Marco, Thatch and Pops."

Melody smiled and showed Namur the book in her hands. The shark Fishman looked at the cover and saw the dragon painted on it. To him, the dragon looked familiar so he took a closer look at it. When he grasped the flap, he tried to lightly pull it open but it wouldn't budge. After several seconds of trying to open the book through pulling it, using his teeth hook onto the flap, even trying to use the railing, Namur let out a breath of exhaustion.

"What's with this thing I couldn't even make it budge."

"Because need to have a key that have."

"What? There's no keyhole on this thing."

Namur handed the book back to the child, who set it down on the deck. She placed her right hand out, letting Namur see the dragon spiral tattoo on the back of it. He watched her place the palm of her right hand against the cover. His eyes widened when the picture on the cover and her tattoo began to glow the same cover. When that light subsided Namur saw a blue magic seal appear between the hand in cover for a second before that vanished and the flap opened.

It was safe to say Namur was in shock and amazement. He watched her open the book and flip through the pages until she got to one about fishmen and mermaids. He was looking at the tattoo on her hand when memories of an old story he heard when he still lived on Fishman Island formed in his mind.

"Melody, do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Sure!"

"What is your mother's name?"

"Meraqua."

Namur's eyes slightly widened when he heard the name, suddenly remembering the story in full detail.

* * *

_A young Namur sat with other fishmen and mermaid children as an adult was telling them a story of the a previous member of the royal family._

_"It was said a long time ago, when this fishman prince was very young he had swam all the way to Sabaondy Archipelago to watch the humans when slave traders found him. He was about to be shackled when a large serpent appeared and gave the prince enough time to escape. He would've swam back home immediately if he hadn't seen the men capture serpent. So the prince had resurfaced and cut enough of the ropes binding the creature to get away."_

_The young Namur and the other children were so amazed at the bravery this prince had to save the creature this prince had only just met._

_"Years later, when the prince had become king, pirates had been attacking the parts of Fishman Island. The pirates were overpowering the King's army and when all seemed lost, four creatures had breached the bubble of the island. They blended into the water, only letting people see parts of the body that arched out of the water. Then they had emerged, dragon serpents. They attacked only the pirates with blasts of water, and the pirates eventually retreated. The king went to the largest of the dragons and saw that it was the very same dragon he had saved as a prince. The dragon and its children helped guard the island for years until they suddenly vanished."_

_The kids were in even more awe while the story teller pointed to the long tube of water arching over them._

_"The Water Roads on the island were commissioned by that king in honor of the dragons that saved the island. However, the sets of tubes that are near Ryugu Palace are the only one that have names, which are the names of the dragon and its children. From the parent then the oldest to youngest child they were Aquacade, Navalter, Whirltide, and Meraqua."_

* * *

Melody was looking at Namur who had been sitting there in a sort of daze. The girl was about say something when Namur happened to come back to his senses.

"Okay, this may sound crazy but... is Meraqua a dragon?"

Namur waited for the girl to respond with a "What are you talking about?" or "You're weird." and started to regret asking when she responded.

"That's not crazy... my mom is a dragon."

"Ehh?!"

Namur was surprised so much by the Melody's answer that he fell onto his back. Once he got over the shock and stood up, he looked at Melody to see her standing up and looking over the railing.

"I didn't tell people that my mama was a dragon yet because either they wouldn't believe me or they may want to hunt down my mama. I was going to tell Thatch, Marco, and Papa later but... Meraqua wrote something in here that makes me feel like you would believe me so I told you first."

Melody picked up the book, which was still opened and pointed to a written entry about his species.

_The Fishman are a courageous group and despite what bad things humans say about them it is not true. They should be considered no lesser than humans. They helped my family stay together when I was just a hatchling and we helped them in one of their darkest hours. If you meet one that you know you rely on, treat them as your friend._

Once Namur finished reading, Melody closed the book. She put it down and gave the Fishman a toothy grin.

"When I was little she told me that fishmen had saved her papa once but didn't go much into it. I actually did see you a couple times in the last few days and... you looked lonely because you didn't seem to talk to anyone nearby. I just found that message this morning and wanted to ask... if you want to be friends!"

Melody placed the book under her arm and brought her hand out. Namur was silent for a few seconds taking in what the little girl had said. Then he began to chuckle and kneeled down once more.

"Ah Marco was right, you are an interesting little girl. You don't have to worry about me telling them about your mom. You can do it when you're ready. So, I guess we're friends?"

"Friends!"

Namur placed his hand out and wrapped it around Melody's smaller hand, now sealing their friendship. With a smirk on his face, Namur went back to looking at the ocean but now with Melody watching with him.

"You know, back at Fishman Island there are things called Water Roads and one of them is named after your mom. Next time we head there, I'll show you it."

"That sound fun! Thanks Namur!"

Unknown to Melody and Namur, Marco was peeking over to them. He couldn't hear what they were saying but smiled at the end result. He turned around and walked back to Thatch, who was still rubbing the back of his head from Melody's hit.

"So what are they doing now?"

"You're not going to believe this but I think she's already become friends with him-yoi."

"Whoa that was fast. It took us a few days for him to warm up to us yet it takes Melody a matter of minutes. She is really something."

"Well if what she says is true and she is from another world I could understand why. Both of them are from a place different to the one they knew most of their life, there has to be some bond in there-yoi. Also, she's never heard any discriminating things about Fishmen so she would have no hostility towards him making Namur less wary of her."

"Heh, I wonder who she's going to want to befriend next."

Marco looked towards the front of the ship to look over the horizon and smiled.

"We'll just have to see."

* * *

_Some time later..._

Melody was sitting in a storage room at the moment, trying to tune out the Marines fighting outside. Though the little girl was made an official member of the Whitebeard Pirates, her father-figure did not want her to show her abilities when some crazy Marines had the guts to try and arrest Whitebeard. When asked why, Whitebeard showed her a wanted poster of girl that looked about her age in the picture, Nico Robin.

"This young girl has been persecuted because of her origins since the age of eight. Her life has probably been a living hell since so many are after her. We will be here to protect you but there are times they we cannot. Let the time you still have of your childhood be used for the best instead of being taken away by fear."

So that was why Melody was currently trying to kill time in the little storage room. Luckily she had brought Meraqua's book with her and decided to look at the spells section. She skimmed through when she saw a little description to the side.

_Dragon Slayers can magic energy by eating their respective element. For Water Dragon Slayers you can consume freshwater from lakes and rivers, and also rain. However the ocean is not a good idea due to the saltiness of it. However there is a special material that gives off the feeling of the ocean and your magic will allow you to consume that._

Melody was now curious as to what that material was when her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of banging. She looked towards the door and that there were shadows under the crack. Unsure if it was friend or foe, Melody hid herself behind some crates. The door swung open to reveal a rather large Marine soldier.

The blue-haired girl peeked over to look at the Marine when she noticed a pair of stone handcuffs hanging from the man's waist. Feeling that those would probably be used on a crewmate, Melody knew she had to get them. With silence, she removed the restraints from the rope that man had it hang from. Just as she jumped behind the supplies, she could hear the Marine grunt in pain.

She looked behind to see one a girl with short brown hair wearing a green ruffed outfit, knocking the Marine out before dragging him out of the room. Melody peeped her head out and gave the pirate a thumbs up who returned one to her as well before closing the door.

Once the door closed, Melody stayed behind the crates and looked at the cuffs. She was curious as to the reason the soldier had such a bulky item when he could've got a smaller one. She slipped her hand through the opening but it was too big for her so she easily slipped it out. The little girl decided to pretend that she was being captured but breaking free later to kill some time.

Eventually the Marines fled and lots of the men were patching up any damaged parts of the ship. The child came out of the room with the handcuff sitting on the cover of her book. She looked around to see if she could find anyone not busy when she found the pirate from before not doing anything so she approached her.

"Hi there! Thanks for getting that Marine before he found me."

The older girl looked down to see Melody and smiled.

"No problem, Melody. I'm Haruta by the way, 12th Division Commander."

The blue-hair girl smiled before opened her eyes, remembering something. She placed the book on the floor beside her and picked up the handcuffs she stole.

"Hey, why would a Marine carry something so big and bulky? Can't you make thinner handcuffs out of stronger stuff."

Haruta leaned forwards to look at the thing when she pressed a fist onto her palm, as if figuring out what the item was.

"Those cuffs aren't made of ordinary rock. They're actually made of the material, Seastone."

"Seastone?"

"You know how Devil Fruit users are weak in water? Well an old scientist that the Marines hired discovered this stuff and its uses. It gives off an energy that matches the sea, thus the name seastone."

"So... it's the ocean in the form of a rock?"

Haruka nodded, not noticing the child looking at the stone in a way that almost looked like hunger.

"Though handcuffs like that will only make Devil Fruit users lose their powers. The more of the stuff is on that user the more draining it is. And it's pretty hard to cut away too, since it's like diamo-"

_***CRUNCH***_

Haruka and everyone around looked towards where they heard the loud sound, which was from Melody. She looked like she was chewing something, which made a muffled crunching sound. Everyone then noticed the seastone cuffs in her hands now had a large bite mark in them. When the pieces were finally put together, everyone's faces turned to shock.

"SHE ATE THE SEASTONE?!"

Melody swallowed whatever chunks of the stone were in her mouth when she looked at everyone's faces. She pouted at their reaction though.

"Hey Namur can shatter an axe with a bite so why does everyone freak out at the fact that I can eat this stuff?"

Just then the person who was up in the crow's nest called out to everyone below.

"Oi! We're gonna arrive at the island in a few minutes."

Using that time when everyone looked up, Haruta quickly took the restraints from Melody's hands and threw them in the ocean. When the splash confirming that the cuffs made their way into the water, Melody looked at Haruta.

"Why did you do that?"

The older girl knelt down with a serious face on.

"We don't want too many people knowing about this. Just like how Pops said about the Marines finding you, you'd get a even bigger target if Marines saw you that you could breach their defense against Devil Fruits. I was just hiding the evidence in case there were Marine on the island. Pops is taking a nap now but you can tell him about this later. So keep it a little secret for now, okay?"

Haruta winked as she brought her hand forth with only her pinky sticking up. Melody complied and made a pinky promise with the 12th Division Commander. As they let go, Haruta looked up and saw someone walking towards them.

"Hey Izo, how's it been?"

Melody turned around to see a man wearing a light pink kimono with purple trimmings and a spotted red sash around his waist. His hair was styled like a geisha's and he wore a minimal amount of makeup.

"Morning Haruta and I see little Melody is with you."

Melody turned her head towards Haruta while pointing to the cross-dressing man.

"Why is he wearing a dress, Haruta? He looks kinda weird"

The brunette couldn't help but stifle a chuckle as she responded to the little girl after her blunt remark.

"Well he likes to wear it. But you shouldn't judge him based on what he wears, he's a good guy."

"Thank you Haruta. By the way I wanted to ask if you wanted to head into town to get supplies."

Haruta stood up again and nodded.

"Sure and we might as well bring Melody too. She needs new clothes."

"Ah that's true..."

"What's wrong with the clothes I'm wearing now?"

Melody looked down at the shirt and open button down she wore confused at Haruta's statement. Izo walked towards the child and patted her head.

"Nothing is wrong with them but you can't always wear those every day. You need variety."

"Variety? Okay then..."

A little while later, the ship had docked by the port and many of the crewmembers got out of the ship to either gather supplies or relax. In the crowd of pirates was Melody, Haruta and Izo. They eventually ended up inside a clothing store. Melody and Haruta waited patiently for Izo to finish grabbing a clothes for Melody to try on.

"Why aren't you helping, Haruta?"

"Ah I'm not those girl who are into fashion. Izo's more of the expert on that. I never liked prettying up like my sisters. I was the black sheep of the family."

"Black sheep?"

"It kind of means I was the outcast. I was always the one who'd play with the boys in town and got messy while my parents wanted me prim and proper. My other sisters got more attention since they liked being dolled up. I got sick of it and then I ran away and eventually Pops found me. He didn't care if I was prettied up or not, I was a daughter to him then and now."

"Bu-"

"Haruta!"

Haruta and Melody to look up at Izo who was holding two piles of clothes. He handed the piles to Haruta as he pushed both of the girls into a changing room.

"I also found some clothes for you too so see if you like them."

Izo closed the curtain that closed the room from wandering eyes. Haruta and Melody looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders and went through their respective piles. Melody had was trying a t-shirt with Criminal brand on it when she heard Haruta groan.

"Again with the dresses! You know I'll never wear them Izo."

Haruta balled up what looked like a fluffy dress and threw it over the curtains and possibly hitting the man, as assumed by the sound of surprise.

"You need to wear something feminine at least once in a while!"

"Look who's talking! It's basically the other way around for you!"

They couldn't see each other with the curtain in the way but Melody could see the sparks shooting between the two. She giggled at their interaction and casually tried on more clothes without a care because she knew they didn't truly mean what they said. They were part of the Whitebeard Pirates, meaning they're family.

As far as Melody knew, family members would have their little fights but would get along the next minute, as seen by the short brawls that took place on deck. Still, she didn't think it was a good idea to argue in a public place for this long. So Melody said something she was going to say before being forced into the changing room.

"I don't think Haruta needs to wear fancy dresses, she's already pretty. My mama is pretty but she's a dragon and doesn't have to wear them to be pretty. "

Haruta stopped arguing with Izo and turned her head towards Melody, who gave her honest eyes. The brunette couldn't help but pick the girl up and nuzzle her.

"Oh my goodness you are so adorable!"

"Hehehe!"

Neither girls saw it but Izo made a sigh of defeat and smiled. He decided not to bother the two girls anymore and waited for them outside. Eventually the two came out with bags of clothes.

"I have to admit some of those outfits were nice. But I'm only wearing them on special emergencies."

"I guess I'll bear with that. And Melody?"

"I liked lots of the clothes but I didn't get the dresses. They're hard to swim in."

Izo had to sigh in defeat again but was quickly pushed forward by both girls.

"Come on, let's get back to the ship."

"Yeah! We don't want to worry Papa and everyone."

Soon the three were heading back to the Moby Dick with smiles on their faces. That was until... Melody got a slight food poisoning from eating the Seastone cuffs and was bedridden for a whole day.

* * *

**The transition was kinda iffy but now Melody has spent some bonding time with the family. Just saying it now, Meraqua's family will most likely NOT appear in the story. I just needed names to put into the story. Anyway hope you liked this chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4: Combat Ready

**I'm just going to say this now since I've gotten a few questions about this. I'm will most likely not do any romantic ships/pairings. It will probably be just platonic/sibling relationship with a hug here and there. Plus, most of the crew are way older than Melody, she was like... seven or eight when she joined.**

**Anyway hope you enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

_Couple years later..._

Melody sat in the crow's nest, bored yet again. The girl was now in her preteens but she still hadn't been allowed to fight the Marines, who were currently on deck. She was able to fight other pirate crews, heck she even got some to ally with her father-figure. But still, she wanted to face the Marines soon. The wait for that battle had also given time for the girl to get change a little.

Most of her hair, except the fringes that framed her face, was tied in a low ponytail. The shirt she always wore when she was younger was now tied around her waist, showing that she was wearing a camisole underneath now. She looked at both of her hands and looked at the back of them. On her right hand, Meraqua's mark had magically grown proportionate with her age, probably from the magic. Her Whitebeard tattoo however had to be redone recently because of the body art's inability to grow with her.

It was wrapped in bandages again, preventing anyone from seeing it. She stretched her hands towards the sky when she felt something grab both her wrists. Melody looked upward to see a man wearing a Marine's Captain coat. Her face was of shock while the man's was opposite of that.

"Don't worry. We've heard rumors that Whitebeard had a young girl hostage. We've come to rescue you."

Melody was at first surprised to hear the Marines didn't suspect her as a pirate until she remembered her tattoo was covered up at the moment. Before she could react, the Captain threw the girl over his shoulders.

"Oi what are you doing?! Let me go!"

"Calm down we're getting you back home."

Melody was tempted to punch the lights out of the guy but didn't know if it was okay with Whitebeard to do so yet.

Meanwhile with the commanders, they had taken down most of the soldiers. Marco was blocking a Marine's sword as he taunted them.

"Those hits won't work on me-yoi! Just scram!"

"No way! We won't rest until the captain finishes the rescue mission."

"Rescue mission?"

The 1st Division stopped the next strike with his avian foot. Using the other foot, Marco slammed the soldier onto the ground. The Marine panicked when he saw the flaming talons etching closer to his neck.

"Explain-yoi."

"T-There's been reports that you're holding a y-young girl hostage."

"Young girl... IT CAN'T BE!"

The blonde man threw the man overboard with his feet as he flew up towards the crow's nest he saw Melody enter. He looked in but saw that it was empty. Then he heard a command of retreat, making the Marines jump ship.

"What the heck is going on?"

"THIS WHOLE ATTACK WAS A DISTRACTION! THEY GOT MELODY!"

"WHAT?!"

Everyone looked towards the ship and did indeed see the dark-blue hair of the girl as she was still being carried by the Marine captain.

"Let me go! I'm not a baby!"

"Miss please calm down. You must be in shock for being with them for so long."

"I am not in shock asshole!"

The Whitebeard Pirates grimaced at the sight. The young girl that had grown onto everyone was now in the hands of the enemy. They all knew Pops told her to hold back her powers but they never encountered a moment where she was actually caught, surprisingly.

Their thoughts stopped when they heard the sharp sound of metal. The people closest to the railing stepped back as they saw Whitebeard approaching, his bisento in hand.

"Pops we're sorry. We got distracted and she was captured."

Whitebeard scowled at the sight of his daughter struggling on her unaware captor's grasp. With his grip on his weapon growing, the captain yelled.

"MELODY! YOU HAVE THE OKAY NOW!"

Everyone on the Marine ship looked confused at what Whitebeard said, except Melody. She turned her head back towards the Moby Dick.

"IS IT ALRIGHT IF I GO ALL OUT ON THEM?!"

As the soldiers looked at the girl with confusion, Whitebeard wasn't the one to reply but most of pirate crew.

"GO AHEAD AND SINK THEM!"

"SHOW THEM WHAT YOU CAN DO!"

The Marine captain was trying to process what was going on when he suddenly hear a rush of water. He looked down to see Melody's leg covered in rushing water and lifting away from him.

"**Water Dragon's Fin Strike!**"

The girl kicked the Marine right in his guy, causing him to crash into a nearby mast. Melody safely landed with the water on her leg disappearing and transferring to her fists. She waited until some Marines rushed her before she began fighting. As she waited, the bandages on her left hand unraveled, soon showing the tattoo that made her a Whitebeard Pirate.

"S-she's a Whitebeard?!"

"Heck yeah I am. Name's Melody Halcyon! Now get ready for this! **Water Dragon's Torrential Fist!**"

Melody punched multiple soldiers with incredible knockbacks. She heard the click of gun safety and turned to see the Captain she kicked standing behind a line of Marines with rifles.

"I didn't realize you were a Whitebeard Pirate but I guess it doesn't make a difference, your still a child."

Melody stopped her attacks when she saw the soldiers get out of the range of fire that was soon to come. The water evaporated as she looked at the Captain with a smirk on her face.

"Hmph, you should never underestimate the power of the Whitebeard Pirates you dumbass Marines. I'm not holding back anymore."

"Artillery squad! Fire!"

The soldiers simultaneously pulled the trigger and bullets came heading towards the girl. Melody tuned out her crewmates' cries of danger as Magic seals appeared at both her feet. The bullets were feet away from her as rushing water from the soles of her feet pushed her up into the sky. The bullets imbedded themselves into the wall and railing while the Marines looked up at the flying Melody. The girl spread her arms out with magic seals appearing by the palms of her hands.

"High tide! Low tide! The dragon still can swim freely! Let the only thing you see be the end of it!"

The Commanders on the Moby Dick watched the girl say the incantation with grins on their faces. They saw Melody's excited face, knowing that the youth was having the time of her life. They watched through the past few years her training to get stronger through trial and error. The spell in progress even took her some time to master and this was the first time she was using it in combat.

Melody's arms became engulfed with water that extended far past the end of her arm. With both of her arms covered by long tendrils of rushing water, the girl swung both arms down.

"**Water Dragon's Tail Strike!**"

The streams of water came crashing onto the deck and knocked many of the people overboard. The Marine Captain managed to get his bearing as he saw the dark-blue haired girl fly over him and heading towards the water. The ranked officer leaned over the railing and called out to the men in the water.

"Men! Capture her! We don't know if she's a Devil Fruit user but use Seastone Cuffs anyway! That's an order!"

The swimming soldiers gave their commanding officer a salute as Melody broke the water's surface. Once her body was fully submerged, the preteen closed her eyes and concentrated.

'**Water Cloak**'

Melody's body was soon blending in with the ocean but she wasn't done just yet. A small magic seal glowed behind her back where her lungs were and smiled.

"**Gills!**"

Now Melody had the ability to breath underwater, making it easier for her to move around. She swam towards the bottom of the ship, where seastone was layered over the ship. Melody looked back to see many of the soldiers hurriedly looking for her before having to go back up for air. The girl had to hold back a laugh as she went back to work.

She grabbed a steady hold of the material and bit into the seastone layer. With each bite, she felt a bit more of her energy returning and didn't worry about that serious of an aftereffect due to the resistance she eventually developed. She could eat the amount of seastone in handcuffs with ease but more than that would give her a slight stomachache. Soon she stopped her consumption and now there was a large hole in the seastone for her to see the actual ship bottom.

Melody swam a couple feet away from the ship and took in a deep breath. She set her aim at the hole she created and fired.

"**Water Dragon's Roar!**"

The pirates watched from the Moby Dick as a large torrent of water burst from the bottom of the Marine ship's deck. Some laughed as they watched the Marines on the ship panic over their sinking vessel.

A minute later, a jet of water came crashing down on the middle on the Moby Dick. The water evaporated, revealing Melody she walked over to the railing to look at the destruction she caused. She looked towards Whitebeard with an tired laugh.

"Do you think that last part was a bit of an overkill, Papa?"

"Gurarara, perhaps, but you showed them what happens when you mess with our family. Good job Melody."

The girl heard footsteps and saw Haruta. The girls gave each other a high-five before the older girl whistled as she overlooked the destruction.

"That was a lot of attacks. How long have you wanted to do that?"

"Since the first couple battles with the Marines. But I'm kind of glad you guys had me wait on fighting them though. All the training I did really paid off!"

"So... how long do you think until they give you a bounty?"

Melody giggled at the question but shrugged her shoulders. She heard the crew calling for a celebration and many of them went to prepare. Melody proceeded to go to the sleeping quarters and found her book. She opened it and skimmed past until she found the next open page for her log.

_I finally showed the Marines what I'm made of today. I bet I'll be in the news the next couple days too. I'm getting strong mama, and when I see you again I'll be stronger than nothing you've ever seen, just you wait. -Melody Halcyon_

"Oi Melody where are you? You're the MVP of this party!"

"Coming!"

Melody closed the book and put it away before running back outside, ready to be with her pirate family.

* * *

In another part of the Grand Line, an all-fishman pirate crew were gathering around one of the men holding the latest newspaper.

"Since when did Whitebeard have a kid on his crew?"

"Can't believe she sunk a Marine ship. That's some feat."

"What are you all talking about?"

The crew turned back to see their captain, a whale-shark fishman named Jimbei. With his wooden sandals making sounds as he walked across the deck, Jimbei asked for the paper. He looked at the article reporting on the sinking of a Marine ship in a matter of minutes. He saw a picture of a dark-blue haired girl attacking with a fist of water on her left hand which had the Whitebeard tattoo on it and read the caption aloud.

"This young girl who goes by the name Melody Halcyon single-handedly took down an entire Marine ship. Not much is known about her origins but her epithet has been declared as the 'Sea Dragon Princess.'"

'Whitebeard... you just keep getting more and more unique family members don't you...'

* * *

Meanwhile in the Marine Headquarters on the island of Marineford, the fleet admiral Sengoku was looking at a bounty poster of Melody in his office. In a little fit, Sengoku balled up the poster and threw it towards the floor, only to have his pet goat pick it up and start eating it.

"Whitebeard, having this girl on your crew is going to make it very difficult when the time comes to fight you."

* * *

"ACE LOOK AT THIS!"

A young black-haired boy wearing a straw hat came running towards his older brother, Ace, with a dirty newspaper in hand. Ace, a boy with messy black hair and freckles turned around to see his brother.

"What is it, Luffy? Another stag beetle?"

Luffy shook his head as he held out the wrinkly article. The straw hat boy showed his freckled boy the article about Melody.

"She's around your age Ace! She must be super strong if she's already a pirate!"

"Keh, that means we'll have to train harder too so we can beat her when we're pirates."

"What's that about becoming pirates?"

Both boys turned when they saw a muscular elderly man wearing a Hawaiian shirt, scowling at them. The boys made a break for it as the older man told them they were going to be Marines while chasing after them. The newspaper was left behind, to be carried by the wind elsewhere.

* * *

In another part of the world, a News Coo, one of the newspaper delivery bird of that world, was dropping off the latest paper to an uninhabited island. The reason he did so was because on his route, he passed by the island and saw a sign saying "Drop Newspaper off here" with the money needed to buy year-long subscriptions. So the bird placed the paper on the beach and flew off, hoping whoever read it would enjoy the paper that day.

For awhile the newspaper sat on the beach as the waves continued to roar. Then from the water, two tendrils appeared out of it and touched the newspaper. A teal glow appeared on the paper before the tendrils grabbed the paper and brought it into the water. The paper continued to be dragged deeper into the water until being pulled into an underwater cave.

The tendrils were used like hands to open up the paper. When it stopped at an article about a certain dark-blue hair girl. There was silent for a minute before a giggle was heard.

_'You've really made your mark on world haven't you Melody. You must be having fun with your new family.'_

* * *

**Looks like a certain someone knows that Melody has gained a reputation on the Grand Line. Anyway hope people liked this chapter. Thank you for the support so far in this story!**


	5. Chapter 5: Battle of Willpower

**Hey how have you guys been! Finals are happening and I haven't really had much time to write but don't worry I am. The other chapters are in progress so you don't have to worry about waiting too long. Anyway hope you like this chapter and review if you'd like!**

* * *

_Some more years later..._

Melody was walking around the deck of the Moby Dick, humming a little tune she heard from the older crew members called Bink's Sake. The next few years had given the girl enough time to get stronger and change more in appearance.

Most of her dark-blue hair was cut short except for the strands that framed her face. She wore a yellow halter top with layered ruffled and a sleeveless, teal v-neck tucked underneath a pair of sea-green shorts. Her shoes were dark blue strappy sandals and raised her height to about an inch.

Melody looked up to see a familiar seagull with a bag of newspapers, a News Coo. Melody called down the bird and requested a newspaper. She placed the price of the paper in the little pouch around its neck and the bird handed the girl the paper. The bird flew off as Melody sat on the railing and opened the newspaper.

She skimmed through for a few minutes when a wanted poster slipped out of the paper and fell to the floor. Curious, Melody picked up the paper and looked at the picture of the wanted person on it.

It was a boy around her age with medium-length black hair with a few freckles on his cheeks, smirking. Around his neck is a necklace made of red thick beads and on his head was an orange hat with happy and frowning smilies resting on the brim. Behind the boy was what looked like raging flames.

Melody looked back to the news article talking about the rookie to see that his nickname was "Fire Fist Ace." She continued to read on until she saw that this guy had rejected an offer to be one of the Seven Warlords. In her line of vision, Melody saw a familiar pompadour pass by. The girl hopped off the railing and caught up to him.

"Hey, 4th Division Commander!"

Thatch turned his head to see the teenage girl beside him.

"Melody, you've known me since you were a little girl. You don't have to call me that."

"I know. I'm just messing with you. Anyway, check out this new rookie!"

Melody passed Thatch the bounty poster and the newspaper as they continued walking.

"Fire Fist... might as well show Pops since I'm heading there. Want to tag along?"

"Sure!"

The two of them continued moving until they reached Whitebeard's cabin. Thatch opened the door with the newspaper in hand.

"Morning Pops."

"Hi Papa!"

After the greetings, Thatch handed the newspaper open to Fire Fist's article. The two waited to hear their captain's reaction when he let out his signature laugh.

"Looks like a kid with potential has shown up on the Grand Line."

"It even says he rejected a seat as a Warlord."

"How old is this kid? It's always the younger ones that are in such a hurry."

"I don't think that applies to everyone Papa. Look at me!"

Thatch turned to Melody and laughed.

"You were impatient too. When we first got to Sabaody Amusement Park you hurried on the fastest roller coaster only to get bad motion sickness as soon as it started moving."

As soon as that was mentioned Melody's face went red and she lifted up a water covered leg.

"Shut up! Dragon Slayers are prone to motion sickness! I didn't know how bad it was going to be because I'm fine on boats! If you keep talking about it I'll kick you overboard like I did Marco when he teased me!"

Thatch laughed and ruffled the girl's dark-blue hair like he did when she was a kid, bringing back a smile on her face. Edward Newgate smiled at the two's interaction, glad to see his son and daughter getting along so well.

* * *

Sometime later, more news about Fire Fist Ace came about. News that made some on the ship laugh and other chuckle. They had heard on the grapevine that Ace wanted to show everyone what he could do by taking out Whitebeard. Much of the crew were discussing the proclamation in the galley.

"This rookie is way over his head!"

"No way in hell can he beat pops!"

Melody stood up from her table with her fist up and covered in water.

"Well if before he wants to get through Papa, he'll have to go through me. I'll douse his flames before he can get feet from Papa!"

"That's our little Melody! Determined as always! Zehahaha!"

"Teach is right! Nothing can stop our little Dragon Princess!"

Melody turned to whoever last spoke with a slightly peeved face.

"That was years ago! Now I'm Empress!"

"You're still a Princess to us-yoi!"

"Marco!"

The uproar began again as conversations were replaced by drunken cries and happy cheer.

* * *

Many of the Whitebeard Pirates were trying to get to higher ground to see what the cause of the explosion over the horizon was. As they did that, they saw a ship approaching. They soon saw the flag bearing a red sun, telling the crew it was the Sun Pirates.

Namur looked over the railing to see a brotula Merman waving at him. Confused at the appearance of the crew and not the captain, Namur yelled.

"Aladdin what are you doing here? Pops will sink your ship when he sees a Warlord's vessel."

She watched the two Fishmen have their conversation. She remembered him telling her that before he joined Whitebeard, Namur had looked up to Jimbei and respected his crew despite their captain's Warlord status. The Merman named Aladdin had a distressed look on his face as he yelled at the other pirate crew.

"Jimbei is fighting that rookie who wants to claim Whitebeard's head, Fire Fist! They've been at it for almost five days!"

The moment Ace's nickname had reached her ears, Melody ran towards the railing as well.

"Where are they now?"

Some of the Fishmen and Mermen on the Sun Pirate's ship pointed in the direction of the explosion as more of them seemed to appear. The other Whitebeard pirates turned their head to see their old man to come out of his office and look towards the explosion. Melody took this opportunity to step forward.

"Papa, permission to go on ahead and battle Fire Fist Ace?"

"Melody what are you doing-yoi? Jimbei can handle that rookie."

"Since he first appeared on the news, I've been interested in a battle with him. It's fire versus water, this would have happened sooner or later. So Papa..."

The large man looked at his daughter with the scowl but nodded.

"I'll allow you a day but that's it!"

Melody gave Whitebeard a mock salute and ran towards the sleeping quarters. Everyone waited a few seconds before they saw Melody run towards the front of the ship. They looked at her buckled on a belt made of Seastone and jump into the water.

"**Water Dragon's Torpedo!**"

Just before her body hit the sea, her body became engulfed in water and she rocketed towards the island where she expected a battle.

Meanwhile, on the island, the whale shark fishman, Jimbei, and Portgas D. Ace, also known as Fire Fist, were still going all out. Ace's crew, the Spade Pirates watched in shock as their captain and a Warlord were still battling with no breaks after four days. Some of them noticed a the waves hitting the island getting wilder when they saw something over the horizon.

"What the..."

"Whoa something's coming over from the ocean. Captain!"

Both Jimbei and Ace surprisingly stopped their battle while they were butting heads, literally. They saw the waves become crazier than before until something broke through the water and landed on the ground. It stood up while the water around it moved like it was a geyser.

"Knight of the Sea, Jimbei and Fire Fist Ace. Nice to meet both of you."

The water vanished to reveal Melody who held a smirk on her face. Jinbe was surprised to see one of the more prominent members of the Whitebeard Pirates while Ace grinned. She walked towards the two, slowly moving her right hand to have it cross over her chest.

"Heard you were aiming to take down my captain, Ace. Well you'll have to beat me to even get even close to him. Mr. Jimbei, you can go ahead and rest, I'll switch with you."

Jimbei quietly nodded and stepped back, leaving Melody and Ace on the battle field. He felt that having an official member of the Whitebeard Pirates was more than necessary to stop the flame boy. Ace cocked his orange hat upwards as he continued to grin.

"Melody Halcyon, the Sea Dragon Empress! I remember hearing about you when I was just a kid. With you here that must mean that old man is nearby. I'll just deal with you first and take him out after."

Melody's hand became engulf with water with part of it forming a blade shape on the outside. With the water on her hand in the form she wanted she ran towards Ace.

"Who says you're gonna beat me? **Water Dragon's Crushing Fang!**"

Ace turned set his own hand on fire with the help of his Devil Fruit and charged forward as well. Their fists collided producing a cloud of steam. From the cloud both jumped a distance away from each other. While the water on Melody's fists vanished, Ace's flames were rekindled. The black haired boy pulled his arm back and any of the Spade Pirates that were spectating closer quickly pulled back.

"**Fire Fist!**"

Ace brought his fist forward like a punch and a column of flames shot toward Melody. The girl remained calm, moved her feet apart and took a deep breath, leaning back. If the pirates were still watching, they'd see a magic circle as tall as Melody appear in front of her.

"**Water Dragon's Roar!**"

Melody leaned forward with her with her mouth wide open, releasing an equal size column of water towards the flames. As soon as the two elements hit each other, they fought for dominance. Fire and water pushed against each other, steam rising out between, until the fire was overtaken.

The flames dispersed and Melody's attack was now heading towards the rookie. Ace turned his feet to fire and propelled himself up but the water still touched the flames. As soon as the water came in contact the fire disappeared, bringing back his limbs and causing Ace to follow the current of the water column and crash into the tree branches.

"Captain!"

"She nullified his Flame-Flame Fruit?! Is this why the she was so notorious at such a young age?"

"Ace get out of there while you still can!"

Ace landed from trees breathing heavier than before. Ace lifts both hands up and they begin to glow green. From his hand come out little green fireballs that begin to float towards Melody.

"**Firefly Light... FIERY DOLL!**"

The green fireballs then explode simultaneously. Ace smirks as smoke covers where Melody stood but then that grin disappears when he hears the sound of rushing water. From the cloud of smoke, a figure being propelled by water at their feet was flying up. He saw Melody but she had gotten a couple of minor burns on her. He heard her yelling an incantation and decided to act quickly.

"**Flame Commandment!**"

Ace swung his arm around and a circle of large flames appeared under his feet. Melody had finished the phrase as her arms were surrounded by streams of water.

"**Water Dragon's Tail Strike!**"

"**Fire Pillar!**"

Melody whipped the water streams down as Ace summoned a large pillar of flames into the sky. The two attacks clashed leaving everyone's sight to be obscured by mist. While the Spade Pirates worry about their captain, Jimbei looks at shock at the combat he just saw.

He remembered reading about the girl when she first gained a reputation as the Sea Dragon Princess. He never expected the girl to become this powerful in a matter of years.

'She really is deserving of that change in her title to empress... Whitebeard where did you even find this child?'

In the cloud of steam, both pirates had received some bruises but neither was going to give up. Melody smiled at his strength but decided to mess with him in the heat of battle.

"Is that all you got ember brain?"

"What did you call me river snake?!"

The Spade Pirates couldn't see the two fighters but could definitely sense the anger from their captain.

"Fire and water really don't mix, do they?"

"There's no way this will battle will last at least one more day."

Melody decided that the fight would be lasting longer than expected. With nobody able to see her, Melody removed the belt around her waist and began to consume it, returning any lost energy. Soon there was only the metal buckle left which she put away and then engulfed herself in water.

"**Water Dragon's Torpedo!**"

She rocketed towards where she heard Ace's voice. As she approached the location, she saw an orange glow through the cloud. Soon, Ace was in her vision coming in like a firework. The two clashed, her water only nullifying when they were in contact. Ace soon reactivated his flames and the cycle continued. At some points the water around her evaporated and she had to create more again It wasn't much a battle of elements anymore but a battle of sheer willpower.

* * *

It had been about five days since Ace started fighting without a single real break. He and Melody had stopped crashing into each other midair, having finally grown tired from the fight. They stood feet away from each other before she saw Ace fall to his knees. He was taking shorter breaths but then he looked up with a glare in his eyes. His shoulders started to fire up, making Melody sigh at the sight but smirked as well.

"I have to admit, you've got my respect. You lasted four days with Jinbe and one with me! Now I think it's time we end this... **Secret Dragon Slayer Art!**"

Up to the girl's forearms were covered in water. She placed both arms in front of her and moved them in a clockwise motion.

"**Sapphire Lil-**"

"That's enough Melody!"

The dark-blue haired girl stopped the attack and the water evaporated from her arms. She turned around to see the shadow of a familiar ship. The rest of the Spade Pirates looked in surprise as the large shadow approached the island.

"What's that?"

Melody turned her head to the Spade Pirates with a smirk on her face.

"That would be the main ship, Moby Dick."

"I-It's the Whitebeard Pirates!"

Standing on the front of the ship was the large figure of Whitebeard standing with the division commanders.

"Melody, I'll handle it from here. You go ahead and rest."

"Are you sure, Papa? I was going to finish this just before."

"Just go get the Warlord back to his ship and then come back on deck. I'll deal with the kid who wants to take my head."

Melody nodded and went over to where Jinbe sat and helped the still tired Fishman up. After the captain of the Whitebeard Pirates saw the girl guide the Warlord back to his own vessel, Newgate jumped down and landed on the island. Whitebeard took his time to approach the battlefield.

"So which one of you is it? I'll take you on right now!"

Ace looked up and glared at the walking pirate. What he didn't expect was some of his crew to rush forward and try to attack Whitebeard. Edward Newgate stopped as he watched the impulsive pirates charge. With just a tilt of his head, the pirates were blown back by the unknown force.

"GUYS!"

Ace gained power and finally stood up again. He glared daggers at Whitebeard as he turned his fingers into fire. He raised his arms up, the fire in his hand turning into ribbons of flames.

"**Flaming Net!**"

Soon the ribbons encircled Ace and Whitebeard, separating the Spade Pirates from their captain with a wall of fire.

"Captain Ace! What are you doing?!"

Ace turned towards the flames, and yelled at his companions while Whitebeard looked down on him.

"Get away from here you guys! RUN!"

"Captain!"

"You're gonna run away now?"

Ace turned back to look at Whitebeard, with a scowl on the teen's face.

"I'm letting my crew escape. But don't worry I'll be fighting in their place. I won't run!"

"Gura! What a cheeky little brat you are!"

Ace jumped towards Whitebeard with a battle cry and the next thing he knew, blood was spilt.

* * *

The commanders were watching the battle from the ship when they heard footsteps approaching. They turned around to see Melody, covered in a few bandages on her arms and face. She was stretching as much as she can without messing up the bandages as she walked over.

"So has Papa KO'd Ace yet?"

"Just about. So how was the battle with Fire Fist?"

"He's a pretty good fighter, but I still can't believe he has that much stamina. But I was going to use that new spell to finish the fight if you guys hadn't arrived."

Melody had pouty look because of the inability to use the advanced spell yet. The girl's thoughts was interrupted when she heard something hit the ground. She looked over the ship to see Whitebeard standing over the fallen rookie. She made a long whistle when she saw the battlefield around the two.

"Man... Papa must've been holding back to not destroy the island."

"Well I don't think he actually wanted to kill Ace. Look-yoi."

She looked at the unconscious Fire Fist, only to realize that he wasn't out cold. The commanders heard him say something about their Pops' power rivaling someone as he tried to get up again. Then they heard their captain laugh as Ace was getting on his knees.

"You're still trying to get up? It'd be a shame if you died here kid. However, if you still want to fight, then take my name and roam the seas wild and free."

The commanders and Melody smiled seeing where this was leading too, remembering when they had heard him say similar lines to a young girl years ago. Whitebeard knelt down and brought his hand to a shocked Ace.

"Become my son!"

Ace's face changed from shock to anger as Whitebeard said those world.

"YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! NO WAY I'M FUCKING JOININ-"

Before Ace could do anything violently to deny the offer, a fist of water struck Fire Fist in the head, finally knocking him out. Whitebeard noticed the source of the hit was from Melody, who had just landed there with the water still propelling her.

"Phew... he has stubbornness issues. Sorry about taking the spotlight, Papa."

"Gurarara, well he needs to get that through his head anyway. Marco, Thatch! Get him inside!"

The 1st Division and 4th Division Commanders jumped down and picked up the captain of the Spade Pirates by his arms and legs. Melody followed along the two to make sure the rookie wouldn't wake up too soon.

Whitebeard turned around to see the Sun Pirates' ship being overshadowed by the Moby Dick. He walked over so he could get a clear sight of Jimbei, who was being patched up by Aladdin.

"I have to say, a Warlord fighting for me is surprising."

"You're a hero to Fishman Island and for that you have my respect."

Whitebeard grunted as he turned to go back to the Moby Dick, leaving one last message for the whale-shark fishman.

"I'll take my leave but if we cross paths, I won't hesitate to sink your ship. Your still a Warlord."

Jimbei gave the man a curt nod before ordering his crew to set sail again.

* * *

**Well here's the next chapter and I hope you liked it. I felt like the next chapter will be a little short but don't worry I have a way to fix that. You'll just have to find out when I post it. Hope you like this chapter of Sea Dragon Empress and come back for more!**


	6. Chapter 6: It Just Keeps Happening

**Here's the newest chapter! What will Ace do now that he's stuck on the Moby Dick? Read and find out!**

* * *

A few days later, Melody was sitting outside, writing in the book Meraqua gave her, when she heard the squeaky hinges of a door. She looked towards the room where they had put Ace to see the freckled boy come out and look at the sky. She gave him a few seconds to look up before she greeted him.

"Morning sleepy head!"

Ace looked at the girl with tired but serious glare.

"Where am I?"

"On the Moby Dick."

Ace sighed as he turned around and sat down, his back against the railing. Putting his head on his hands as support, Ace tried to comprehend what had happened on the island during the big battle. Melody was going to continue reading when she saw Thatch, causing her to call out.

"Hey! Check out who's awake!"

Ace looked up to see the tall figure that was Thatch. As the pompadour man walked to the railing he talked to Ace.

"I'm the 4th Division Commander, Thatch! And the girl right here is-"

"Melody Halcyon, I already know of her."

"Then I don't have to introductions! And since you're going to join, we all might as well be friends."

"Shut up! And you! Why are you in such a happy mood, river snake?! We were fighting each ot- OW!"

Melody had bopped Ace's head with the spine of her book then had the tome sit on her lap.

"Don't call me that and I won't call you ember brain. I was just messing with you back there. Overall, you a pretty alright guy and I don't want to be one of those people who fight with someone just because of their clashing elements. So, friends?"

Melody offered her hand to Ace but just scoffed her off as he went back to looking down.

"Man for someone whose had three days of rest you're in a grumpy mood."

"Ah speaking of that! You want to know what happened after you passed out? You crew came to get you back so we beat them all."

Both noticed Ace lose his composure for a second and Thatch just continued from his statement.

"It's not like they're dead. We're keeping them on the ship."

Ace glanced up at Thatch with a glare that didn't even make the brunette flinch.

"Are you sure you should leave me like this? Without shackles or anything?"

"Shackles?! We don't need those! Besides, Melody hoards all of them and she uses it for her own needs!"

"Hey, I don't hoard Thatch! I'm safekeeping!"

Thatch leaned down and messed with Melody's hair once again. Still holding a glare Ace was curious at what the 4th Division Commander meant.

"Own needs?"

Melody removed Thatch's hand from her head and decided to just show Fire Fist rather than explain. She took out a small chain link made of Seastone. She tossed it in her mouth, shocking Ace when he saw her chew and heard the crunching sounds. Melody swallowed the Seastone and smiled.

" Didn't you notice I was missing my belt during the battle? We won't use them, so you don't have to worry about feeling like a hostage."

Ace looked angrily at the two before he stood up and stomped away. Melody and Thatch watched him leave before the brunette looked towards the girl.

"So are you going to get him to warm up to you? You seem to have an ability to get along with people fast."

"Nah, I'll just let it go to fate. I kind of want to see what crazy things he's going to do before he gets the mark."

"Man you've gotten crazy in the past few years. You used to be an adorable little girl when you were eight."

"I'm still adorable, I just use that adorableness when I feel like it."

Melody gave the man a mischievous giggle then went back to writing in her book.

* * *

A yawn came out of her mouth as Melody walked around the deck later that night. Tossing an apple that she got from the galley, the girl caught it and took a bite out of her midnight snack. She walked around aimlessly until she saw someone enter Whitebeard's room.

Melody walked towards the door and was about to grasp it when she heard a loud crash. She heard the splintering of wood and peeked over the corner in curiosity. She saw Ace having apparently crashed into the side of the railing with a bloody nose. She saw two people who were previously drinking nearby, now yelling at the teen.

She decided not to get involved with the scolding the two pirates were giving Ace. Melody turned around and went back to eating her fruit, pretending that she didn't see anything.

A couple days later, Melody was sitting on the upper with Namur and Haruta, talking about random things when they saw Ace sneaking about with a large axe.

"Looks like he's at it again."

Haruta leaned over in fascination.

"Huh? Wonder how long he's going to try and get Pops..."

"I bet 30 beris that... it's no less than a hundred."

"Change it to 300 then I'll wager for over a hundred!"

The two girls grinned at each other while Namur just sighed and watched Ace near Whitebeard. Ace then made his move running towards the captain and jumped, raising his axe at Newgate. Whitebeard however blocked the attack and set him flying again. This time he shattered the railing and made a big splash in the ocean, catching the sight of some of the crew.

"Hey he fell overboard!"

"He can't swim though can he?"

"Someone go save him already."

Namur sighed as he volunteered and dove into the water. A couple minutes later, Namur resurfaced with a knocked out Ace. The fishman climbed back aboard and placed the unconscious Fire Fist back on deck as he sighed.

'Things are going to be crazier here.'

For a while Ace continued to attack Pops, and all his attempts lead to failure. Even if it was stormy, windy, calm, or sunny, he had tried to get rid of Pops.

"Has he hit the hundred-mark yet?"

"Ha! I think he's surpassed it!"

"Pay up Melody!"

"Man, he really does have stubbornness issues doesn't he?"

Later the crew was having a party for no real reason everyone was eating when some noticed Marco stand up with a bowl of food.

"Hey where you going? The party's right here!"

Marco turned around and pointed behind him. Everyone looked to see Ace sulking in the shadows of the ship. Everyone understood and proceeded to eating as the 1st Division Commander walked towards Ace. He placed the food down to the black haired boy's side and was about to walk back when he heard a voice.

"Why do you guys call him your old man?"

Marco glanced back at him but smiled at him when he responded.

"Because he calls of his sons and in Melody and Haruta's case, daughters."

Ace looked up at the blonde with a slightly confused face while Marco continued.

"We're outcasts to the rest of the world but when Pops calls us that... it makes us happy."

Marco gave Fire Fist a relaxed grin , making the freckled boy have a conflicted face as he looked down again. Marco walked closer to Ace and knelt down to talk to him.

"Look, how long are you going to keep risking your life-yoi? There's no way you can take the old man's head the way you are now. Make up your mind already! Will you get off this ship and start over... or are you going to stay here and take on the old man's mark?"

* * *

Later, the Whitebeard Pirates came across another pirate ship being lead by a man with a monkey on his shoulder.

"So who's this pirate?"

"That'd be "Bohemian Knight" Doma-yoi."

"Alright who are the ones going today?"

"I'll go!"

Everyone turned to see Ace toss his hat to someone nearby. They all could see the purple tattoo of Whitebeard's Jolly Roger on Ace's back. Before anyone could even argue he jumped off the ship and onto the deck of other ship. The Whitebeards watched Doma's crew step back in surprise as Ace safely landed on deck and looked at the captain.

"So you're Doma..."

Ace brought his right hand up and set in on fire while Doma and his monkey kept confident looks on their faces. Soon Ace charged forward with his fist of fire. I would be an hour or so later that people cheered for Ace's victory in getting Doma's crew to surrender all by himself.

* * *

"Become the 2nd Division Commander?"

Ace was in the sleeping quarters about to get some rest when two members of the crew beside him made the suggestion to him.

"We haven't had one in a long time."

"And I doubt anyone has qualms about you taking it."

"Wait, isn't Melody the commander?"

"Nah she's not really in any division and she declined the offer. She said it would get in the way of her goal."

"You can ask her why, though I'll doubt you'll believe her. The newbies never do."

The two men chuckled at the 'inside joke' leaving Ace slightly confused. Curious enough, Ace decided that he'd ask the girl tomorrow. When the next day came and Ace found the water-girl, leaving the galley with her book in her hands. Ace called her and they stood near the mess hall while Melody began explaining why she declined the offer.

"Being commander means I'd probably get more attention than usual. That's make it troublesome to find clues about my mom's whereabouts then."

"Your mom?"

"Uh-huh, she's a dragon."

Ace stumbled when he heard the last part, starting to doubt if the girl's sanity existed. Melody laughed saying that was what most people she had told reacted to at first. As a sort of evidence, Melody placed her right hand and showed the process of opening Meraqua's book. After she explained her origins from another world and saying that would just make the target on her bigger.

"So if I was commander, I'd probably get false info given to me and placed in traps. I don't want to deal with that kind of crap while finding Meraqua. Go ahead and be Commander, I don't mind at all!"

Ace understood and left the girl to her own agenda while he went grab breakfast. Down there he saw Marshall D. Teach with basically a full course in front of him. Knowing that Teach was part of the 2nd Division, Ace sat next to the large man.

"Morning Teach."

"Zehaha, morning Ace."

"Hey some of the others say that I should be the 2nd Division Commander. What do you think?"

Teach smiled at Ace as the larger man grabbed a cherry tart from the table and took a hefty bite while Ace began eating a whole roll.

"Oh! I say you go ahead and fill that spot."

"You've been in the 2nd Division for a long time though. Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Zehahaha! It's fine, don't worry about it. That kind of position isn't the kind of thing I'm aiming for anyway. Go ahead, Commander Ace!"

* * *

A couple days passed and the crew was holding a celebration for Ace's promotion. All the commanders were scattered among the group, with Ace being in the center. Marco stood up lifting up a mug for everyone to see.

"From here on, Ace is officially the 2nd Division Commander-yoi! Cheers!"

Everyone lifted their drinks and clashed with other mugs as the real party even began. Ace was awestruck at the celebration meant for him. His stupor ended when Marco put his arm over Ace's shoulder and smiled.

"Stop spacing out, this party is for you! Eat up!"

Marco stuck a piece of meat into Ace's mouth, surprising the freckled teen. He got over the surprise in less than a second and ate up the meat in an instant. Everyone began laughing as they watched Ace almost suck in the food in front of him. Then Ace started choking on his food making a certain blue-nette smirk.

"I got this!"

Melody covered one of her hands to water and was about to throw a current at Ace. Luckily some of the other crewmembers held her back from the possibility of drowning Ace and making the 2nd Division lose their commander on the first day. Thatch had intercepted while Melody were distracted and handed Ace a filled mug. Once Ace took a few gulps of the drink, he made a sigh of relief.

"Hey, hey! The food isn't going to run away on you! Besides this is your party so..."

Thatch stopped when he noticed Ace's eyes close and everyone heard snoring. They looked at Ace in disbelief.

"HE FELL ASLEEP?!"

Whitebeard couldn't help but look at the sight and smile. He watched as this time Melody did hit Ace with a blast of water to wake him up while a Cheshire grin stayed on her face.

'Roger... your son is really something.'

* * *

**Hey I hope you all liked that chapter. This chapter felt a little short so, I decided to add a bonus story! It's a bit of a flashback story and fills up a small plothole in the story. Anyway hope you like it**

* * *

Bonus Chapter: Confidential Weakness

"Hey Marco, Thatch I'm curious, does Melody have a weakness?"

The 1st and 4th Division Commanders looked at the 2nd in surprise at the sudden question. They looked to see the curious flame-user watching Melody spar with Namur on island the landed on.

"She's not a Devil-fruit user so seastone and water won't affect her. She must have some weak point."

The blonde and brunette looked at each other and smirked.

"Oh yeah, to be honest, it's an embarrassing topic for her-yoi."

"Eh?"

"Haha, she even kicked Marco into the ocean for teasing her when we first figured it out and that was when she was around nine years old!"

Even more curious, Ace ushered the two men into telling him the answer.

"Don't say it came from us-yoi..."

"But her one real weakness is..."

"**Motion sickness!**"

Ace looked at the two in disbelief when he heard the answer.

"Hold on that mean she's bad when on transport right? How is she okay on the ship?"

Thatch shrugged his shoulders with a joyful laugh afterwards.

"Who knows... Only thing I can guess is since boats have always been on water it's just a natural thing for her."

"But... how did you even find out?"

"We were hoping you'd say that-yoi. It started out when we were taking a break from the New World and decided to bring her to Sabaody Park. Me, Thatch, and Namur acted as her chaperones at the time."

* * *

_Melody was eager to head to the amusement park. They eventually arrived to the mangrove trees identified in the 30s and entered Sabaody Park. Melody's eyes sparkled as she looked at all the attractions and bubbles around the park._

_"S-so cool! Look at all the rides and the bubbles and the Ferris wheel and... and... WAH!"_

_The commanders with her, Marco, Thatch, and Namur (who was wearing a disguise so people wouldn't know he was a fishman), laughed at the child's inability to contain herself. However, that laughter stopped when she sped off to the first attraction in her sights, the rollercoaster._

_"I want to go on that one!"_

_"Holy- wait Melody-yoi!"_

_The three ran after the youth as she got onto the near empty line for the attraction. When the carts for the ride came in and the riders got off, Melody quickly got onto the first cart. Luckily the three commanders got to the ride in time and sat with Melody in the cart._

_Soon the roller coaster was moving up with the four Whitebeard Pirates on its track. At first everything seemed fine until they heard grunts from the little girl._

_"Melody? What's wrong?"_

_"...I don't feel so good..."_

_They leaned over to see that Melody's face was slightly green and her cheeks were swelled up with nausea. The three men panicked unsure of what to do._

_"Motion sickness at a time like this-yoi?!"_

_"One of you guys help her!"_

_"We're not doctors!"_

_"URP!"_

_The little girl was trying to hold it the vomit that could possibly come out any moment. Soon the coaster went down a steep decline and the four of them were to unprepared for the descent. For the next few minutes, Melody was trying not to upchuck in the cart while the commanders hoped that the motion sickness would pass._

_When the coaster came to a stop, Thatch carried Melody out the cart and made a beeline for the nearest restroom or trashcan. A few minutes later Melody came out motion sickness-free. The commanders decided to not try any of the others fast rides in case that were to ever happen again._

_Marco tried taking her on the carousel but after a full rotation Melody got sick on them again. They tried the teacups but got the same result. Even during the horror attraction Melody was too sick to even react to the scary things._

_Eventually they called it a day and were using a dinghy to sail back to the Moby Dick._

_"This was not what we were expecting when going here."_

_After the rides Melody seemed to make a full recovery and at the moment was glumly eating cotton candy from the park. Her sad mood from not being able to enjoy the rides._

_"Well we did learn one thing... Melody gets motion sickness on any mode of transportation that's not a boat."_

_"Too bad she didn't have a motion sickness spell in that book of hers-yoi. Though to think that of all things was her weakness."_

_Marco chuckled for a few seconds, causing Melody to pout. She stopped eating her snack and went up to the blonde with one leg raised._

_"Marco you meanie! It's not nice to tease!"_

_With her leg covered in water the girl hit Marco's shin, causing him to lose balance and fall overboard. Melody went back to eating her cotton candy while Namur went to rescue Marco._

* * *

"Pff! Seriously you got beat by a nine year old kid?"

"It was unexpected-yoi!"

Thatch chuckled as he looked back down, but surprised to see Melody disappear from where she stood before. He saw Namur's face filled with pity and was confused by it until he heard a voice behind them.

"You do know that I have a heightened sense of smell and hearing right?"

The three commanders turned around to see Melody cracking her knuckles with a slightly blushing face. The three men probably could've fought back but the deadly aura around her recommended them not to. With haste, Ace, Marco, and Thatch jumped over the ship railing and ran towards the center of the island.

"I don't know who's scarier, her or my gramps?!"

"Who cares just run! She doesn't like getting embarrassed, just know that!"

Namur watched the three men and sighed as a blast of water just missed them.


End file.
